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Source Description
Smoking tobacco was introduced to the Mughal court from Iran in the very early 1600s and soon became popular. This base formed part of a hookah, or water pipe, which consisted of a base that held water—sometimes perfumed with herbs or fresh fruit—a detachable bowl to hold tobacco, and a long tube. Early hookahs used existing vessels for bases, including coconut shells. By the late 1600s or early 1700s, richly decorated pieces like this were produced. The jewel-like decoration of blue and green blossoms evokes a garden in which a smoker might have sat.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
144662
label
Hookah Base
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
144662
contentType
object
title
Hookah Base
description
Smoking tobacco was introduced to the Mughal court from Iran in the very early 1600s and soon became popular. This base formed part of a hookah, or water pipe, which consisted of a base that held water—sometimes perfumed with herbs or fresh fruit—a detachable bowl to hold tobacco, and a long tube. Early hookahs used existing vessels for bases, including coconut shells. By the late 1600s or early 1700s, richly decorated pieces like this were produced. The jewel-like decoration of blue and green blossoms evokes a garden in which a smoker might have sat.
date
early 1700s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79922131
genreSpecific
Glass
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 17.8 cm (7 in.)
cul
India, Mughal Dynasty (1526-1756)
accession
1969.286
Source extras
tec
Glass with colored enamel and gilding
tombstone
Hookah Base, early 1700s. India, Mughal Dynasty (1526-1756). Glass with colored enamel and gilding; overall: 17.8 cm (7 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Norweb Collection, 1969.286
collection
Indian Art
inscriptions
inscription
Translation of inscription:
"In the name of God, the element, the merciful,
Is the key to the wise treasure"
sortorder
1
didYouKnow
Turquoise five-petaled flowers hang from lime green pedicels.
citations
citation
Lee, Sherman E. “Sōsetsu and Flowers.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 57, no. 8 (November 1970): 263–271.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 178–179
citation
Desjardins, Tara. <em>Mughal Glass: A History of Glassmaking in India.</em> New Delhi: Roli Books, 2024.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 127, no. 47
creditline
The Norweb Collection
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:25:58.815000
sourceId
144662
dept
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
coll
Indian Art
med
Glass with colored enamel and gilding
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
600bfe2597c346b5